On Sunday, August 17, PS I Love You and Kent Rosenblum (below, from Rock Wall Wine Company) hosted our annual volunteer and Groupies picnic. The following is a thank you Email that I got from Brian and Nancy Gillespie. This indefatigable couple have helped with Dark & Delicious®, since the very beginning, when we realized that if we didn’t have volunteers, we wouldn’t have an event. Non profit events survive on the generosity of people who feel “the cause,” and help to carry the banner.

I have to share this follow-up Email from Brian Gillespie [below, center]. It just wraps-up the spirit of PS I Love You hosting an event to thank our volunteers, only to have them turn around and thank us for thanking them… Consider the volunteer spirit behind Brian’s words. They’re very important:

Hi Jo:

As usual, the annual Volunteer Picnic at Kent Rosenblum’s vineyard estate was very special.

Great setting, gracious hosts, an exceptional range of delightful wines (mostly Petite Sirah, of course), and tasty treats, including Kent’s ‘do it yourself’ pizza’s, made for an extraordinary afternoon.

While it was a day of appreciation for your volunteers, Jo, we also appreciate greatly the efforts you make to set aside a special day to celebrate with your volunteer team.

There is a Latin phrase, ‘Res Ipsa Loquitor’, which literally means ‘the thing speaks for itself’.

(It has a legal meaning as a doctrine related to personal injury law.)

It also has a colloquial meaning………the import of a thing or situation is obvious.

That was the thought I had as I looked around and saw how much everyone was enjoying the event and appreciated your arranging this special day with Kent and other winemakers.

It is obvious in your hosting this ‘Thank You’ event how much you value your volunteers.

I am sure the event was appreciated by all.

Nancy and I will be looking forward to next year’s annual PSILOVEYOU event in February. [Dark & Delicious]

In the meantime, thanks again and may the FORCE be with all of us.

Cheers,

Brian

Here I am, trying to thank those who help me, and yet they continue to thank us.

Res Ipsa Loquitor

Without volunteers for our annual event, we’d collapse upon ourselves. What I never anticipated, though, is the outpouring of generosity of this core group of people. At first, Kent, Jose, and I did everything; but one-by-one, the volunteers are taking this event over.

The Volunteers are volunteering at their own event

Two trucks ready, willing, and able to get everything to and from the picnic grounds. (Honey Airborne, Patty Valez, and Margie Veja)

Bringing extra food. (Honey Airborne, Suzanne Hudson, and Katie Rall)

Setting up with us. (Everyone who arrived.)

Make their own pizzas, with Kent’s guidance. (Everyone)

Photography by Scott Noltensmeier (All of the images for this blog story were taken and are donated by Scott.)

Picking and doing the dishes, before I had to bring it all home and do it here. (Honey Airborne with dishes and everyone else with everything else.)

Taking it all down with us.

Loading everything into vehicles to get it back to ground zero. (Honey Airborne, Patty Valez, and Margie Veja, with Ken Wilson standing by to help if needed.)

In the past, Jose and I have done most of these steps, with Ken Wilson always ready to help once he saw how much we were personally doing. But each year it grows to be more and more of the volunteers volunteering for themselves, in true Res Ipsa Loquitor style.

…for suggesting that there needs a Petite Sirah advocacy group and it should be called PS I Love You. And, thanks Mimi (my grandmother) for telling me when I was very young, “You wear your heart on your sleeve.” At the time, I didn’t know what the heck she was talking about; but as an adult, I’ve become very aware that I don’t hide my love and gratitude for those people, places, and things that I hold most dear to my heart. It’s important to me to be generous with those who are paving my path to success. As regards Petite Sirah:

The brands that are helping me to get the word out on this variety; not only for Petite Sirah and themselves, but also selflessly for the entire industry.